SPIRE Academy announces strategic additions to the men’s basketball coaching staff for the upcoming season. 

In his third year at SPIRE, Ben Slaton will take on the role of Head Coach for SPIRE HS Black and Assistant Coach 3 for SPIRE HS Red. Slaton’s coaching experience includes a year as the Head Coach of a postgraduate team at the International Sports Academy, with notable success in sending players to college basketball. He previously served as a Student Manager for the Men’s Basketball Team at Wright State University, contributing to the team’s participation in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and the NIT in 2019.

Also joining the coaching lineup as the Assistant Coach for the high school’s Red team is Jay McMichael, an NCAA Basketball Official, Skills Developer and Motivational Coach with two decades of refereeing experience. McMichael, a psychology graduate from Columbia Southern University, brings a focused approach to athletic training. He emphasizes offensive and defensive techniques and is known for motivating players and improving their development.

Jeff Garofalo assumes the position of Assistant Coach of the high school’s Red and Black teams. His eight-year involvement in various basketball programs includes coaching roles at the Philadelphia 76ers Summer Camp, Marmion Academy and The United States Basketball Academy. Garofalo was also a co-founding player on the Syracuse Club basketball team. 

Jeff Gonzalez, previously a SPIRE House Parent, has been promoted to Director of Basketball Operations. Gonzalez’s trajectory includes a role as SPIRE’s post-grad men’s basketball Assistant coach, contributing to the success of two top 15 National prep teams. He also attended the National Prep Championships in 2022 and 2023. Previously he managed Kent State’s men’s basketball team and coached Kent State’s women’s club basketball team.

Completing the additions to SPIRE’s coaching team is Sheldon Deilmer who was appointed as an assistant coach of the Prep team and is also the Head Coach of SPIRE’s Post Graduate Basketball team. His accomplishments include playing a key role in developing 5 All-Conference players, two historic seasons, competing at the NCAA DIII Tournament and achieving multiple program records at Eastern University in Philadelphia. He also spent a few years coaching at the post-graduate and high school levels before becoming an Assistant at Eastern University. Deilmer brings expertise in operations, skill development and recruiting to his new position at SPIRE.